Around 39,000 Earn Degrees Conferred by the Minister of Education
Degree Conferment Ceremony Held on the 25th
For Mr. Jeong, who is in his 60s, memories of his school days stop at elementary school. However, after becoming an adult, he earned a bachelor's degree through the High School Equivalency Examination and the Academic Credit Bank System, and then went on to obtain a master's degree, continuing his lifelong learning journey. In doing so, he personally embodied the idea that "learning has nothing to do with age." The same is true for Ms. Han, who is in her 40s. While working at a telecommunications company with only a high school diploma, she pursued her dream of creative work by taking the Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree Examination, broadened her studies through English Language and Literature, and later produced a short film.
As in the cases of Mr. Jeong and Ms. Han, a total of 82,702 people earned degrees last year through the Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System and the Academic Credit Bank System. Among them, 38,944 learners received degrees conferred in the name of the Minister of Education (38,473 bachelor's and associate degrees through the Academic Credit Bank System, and 471 bachelor's degrees through the Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System). On the 25th, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education announced that they will hold the "2026 Academic Credit Bank System and Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System Degree Conferment Ceremony" online for these learners and share a wide range of learning achievements.
The Academic Credit Bank System is an open lifelong learning system that recognizes various forms of learning and qualifications, both inside and outside of school, as academic credits and confers degrees equivalent to those of colleges or universities. In the bachelor's track, 26 degree types and 120 majors are offered, and in the associate degree track, 13 degree types and 111 majors are available. The Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System was established to provide an alternative pathway for adult learners who find it difficult to enter university-such as women with career breaks, employees, soldiers, and inmates-to obtain a bachelor's degree through nationally administered examinations, and it currently offers 11 majors at the bachelor's level.
At the conferment ceremony that day, six individuals, including Mr. Baek, who earned a bachelor's degree in Food and Culinary Science through the Academic Credit Bank System with excellent grades, received top and excellence awards.
According to the Ministry of Education, since the Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System began in 1990 and the Academic Credit Bank System in 1997, the cumulative number of degree recipients as of February this year, including both degrees conferred by the Minister of Education and by university presidents, has reached approximately 1.28 million. This includes 1,257,643 people through the Academic Credit Bank System and 24,832 people through the Self-directed Learning Bachelor's Degree System.
The number of degree recipients has been increasing every year. The figure rose sharply from 55,921 in 2019 to 68,585 in 2021, and then exceeded 70,000 with 75,326 in 2022, 76,338 in 2023, and 76,166 in 2024, before surpassing 80,000 last year. In this regard, an official from the Ministry of Education interpreted this trend as showing that "the foundation for lifelong learning has been continuously expanding throughout society."
Minister of Education Choi Kyojin said, "Those who are receiving their degrees today are people who did not fear change and chose to take on challenges, and they are valuable talents who will play important roles in various fields," adding, "The Ministry of Education will do its utmost to ensure that everyone in the country can discover new opportunities through lifelong learning and take the lead in designing their own lives."
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